PlainPatent

CPC technology class · F02

F02D - Controlling Combustion Engines

Controlling combustion engines. 16,949 US utility patents granted 2015–2025, with the leading assignees and year-by-year filing trajectory.

16,949
US patents granted
F02
Parent CPC class
20
Active assignees
-23%
5-yr velocity

The verdict

Controlling Combustion Engines ranks #111 of 670 CPC technology areas - 16,949 US patents granted since 2015, with filing down 23% over five years.

#111
of 670 CPC technology areas
16,949
US patents granted, 2015–2025
Ford Global
leading assignee (2,221)
-23%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Top assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Llc (2,221 patents)

CPC subclass F02D - CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES - covers 16,949 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2025 according to USPTO PatentsView records, within the broader CPC class F02 (COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS). See our CPC classification guide for how the system works.

The competitive landscape in F02D is shaped by 20 distinct companies actively filing in this space. Ford Global Technologies, Llc leads with 2,221 patents, followed by Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha at 1,725 grants and GM Global Technology Operations Llc at 744.

Filing activity in F02D is down 23% over the past five years versus 2015-2019, a notable slowdown that may signal a maturing field. All counts come directly from USPTO PatentsView and reflect US granted utility patents only.

Is F02D innovation accelerating?

US utility-patent grants per year in F02D, 2015–2025 - recent five years are down 23% versus 2015–2019.

05001,0001,5002,0002,500 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 425

Who leads F02D?

The 12 most active assignees in CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES - wider bars mean more grants

patents

What this shows Ford Global is the most active filer in F02D, holding 2,221 of the 16,949 patents in this class. Concentration at the top signals how contestable this technology area is for new entrants.

Source USPTO PatentsView, granted utility patents As of 2015–2025 grant years
View data table
Top patent holders in CPC subclass F02D
Rank Company Patents in F02D
#1 Ford Global Technologies, Llc 2,221
#2 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha 1,725
#3 GM Global Technology Operations Llc 744
#4 Hyundai Motor Company 659
#5 Denso Corporation 583
#6 Robert Bosch Gmbh 437
#7 Caterpillar Inc. 414
#8 Cummins Inc. 413
#9 Mazda Motor Corporation 402
#10 Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 394
#11 KIA Motors Corporation 369
#12 Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. 336
#13 Continental Automotive Gmbh 295
#14 Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. 239
#15 Vitesco Technologies Gmbh 187
#16 Tula Etechnology, Inc. 164
#17 Volvo Truck Corporation 141
#18 Isuzu Motors Limited 130
#19 FCA US Llc. 120
#20 Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. 115

About This Class

CPC subclass F02D belongs to class F02.

16,949 patents were granted in this class between 2015 and 2025.

20 companies actively patent in this space.

Classification System

Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) is a hierarchical patent classification system used by the USPTO and EPO.

← All Technology Classes Technology Rankings →

Footprint here vs. claim strategy

Each dot is a leading F02D assignee, placed by how many patents it holds in this class (horizontal) against its company-wide average claims per patent (vertical) - a read on whether the class is led by broad-but-shallow filers or focused deep-claim players.

Top 14 F02D assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F02D. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Top 14 F02D assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F02D. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes). Scatter plot of 14 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 5101520 05001000150020002500 Patents in F02D Avg claims / patent (company-wide) Ford GlobalToyota JidoshaGm Global Technology…Hyundai MotorDensoRobert BoschCaterpillarCumminsMazda MotorHonda MotorKia MotorsNissan MotorContinental AutomotiveHitachi Automotive Sy…
Top 14 F02D assignees by class footprint. Bubble size = patents in F02D. Source: USPTO PatentsView (claim depth is company-wide across all classes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CPC class F02D?
CPC subclass F02D covers CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES. It belongs to CPC class F02 (COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS), with 16,949 US utility patents granted since 2015.
How many patents have been filed in F02D?
16,949 US utility patents were granted in CPC subclass F02D between 2015 and 2025, based on USPTO PatentsView data.
Which company holds the most patents in F02D?
Ford Global Technologies, Llc leads F02D with 2,221 patents, making it the most active assignee in this technology area.
How is patent data for F02D collected?
Patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It covers all US granted utility patents and assigns CPC codes based on the technology described in each patent.
What is the difference between CPC class and subclass?
A CPC class (e.g., F02) is a broad technology category. Subclasses like F02D provide finer granularity within that category. PlainPatent organizes data at the subclass level (4-character codes) for the most useful view of technology domains.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.